


Is this going to Workout?

by Not_Listening



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE
Genre: A little angst, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Minnie shows up for like a split second, Yuqi's got a secret angsty past oooo, much longer than i originally intended, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26984887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_Listening/pseuds/Not_Listening
Summary: Soyeon is kind of having a bad week.First, her gym partner (who she has a giant crush on) literally runs away after they finally kiss. Then, to make matters worse, said partner shows up at her studio the next day, carrying two very sharp-looking swords and evidently running from people who want to kill both of them.Apparently, Song Yuqi is an assassin? Who knew?
Relationships: Jeon Soyeon/Song Yuqi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 72





	Is this going to Workout?

**Author's Note:**

> I really need to stop using puns as titles. ANyway, i legit have no idea wtf this is.
> 
> Enjoy!

Soyeon would be the first to admit that she tended to pine over girls a little too easily. Even making eye contact with a pretty girl at the grocery store often sent Soyeon spiralling. 

But something was different about Song Yuqi. 

She had first met the girl at the gym. Soyeon wasn’t a big fan of working out, but she was willing to drag her ass to the public gym near her apartments a few times a week. Of those times, Yuqi had always been there. 

She was often stone-faced and serious, lifting ridiculous amounts of weight despite her small stature. Soyeon was immediately drawn to her, noticing the way she carried herself with a grace she hadn’t seen before. Yuqi was definitely a force to be reckoned with, and Soyeon could see that through just a glance over at her. 

However, despite that cool grace and intimidating strength, Yuqi was rather awkward. She was short with any employees she encountered, and any times she made eye contact with Soyeon, she always immediately looked away. 

So, yeah, Soyeon was pining. Sue her, she found Yuqi both incredibly hot and equally as cute. And, yeah, she had asked around and found her name. It wasn’t  _ creepy,  _ she was just interested. 

But, Soyeon was not just going to let this clear opportunity pass her by. 

So the next time Soyeon was working out, she glanced around the gym, intent on finding the object of her recent affection. And, lo and behold, there Yuqi was, on the other side of the gym doing pull-ups. 

Soyeon tried not to let her eyes dwell on the way her back muscles showed through the tight shirt she was wearing. 

She waited patiently as Yuqi went through her reps, pretending to be very interested in the stand full of medicine balls a few feet from the pull-up bar. 

After what felt like entirely too long, Yuqi finally dropped from the bar, landing with a grace that still shocked Soyeon, even now. She was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from her brow. Yuqi still didn’t seem to notice her, reaching towards her workout bag and grabbing her towel and water bottle.

Soyeon tried her best to not be a creep as Yuqi stretched, wiping her face with the towel and taking a swig of water. 

Soyeon nodded to herself, taking a deep breath and taking a step forward to approach Yuqi. Before she could think any better of it, she was waving. “Hi!” she said cheerily, offering a winning smile. 

Yuq spun around, clearly startled that anyone was talking to her. Soyeon’s eyes widened as she noticed the way Yuqi seemed to shift into a fighting stance, as if on instinct. However, when she realized that Soyeon wasn’t a threat, she dropped her hands and seemed to relax. 

Her eyes were wide, though, and she still seemed rather alarmed that Soyeon was addressing her. “Um, hey,” she said, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. 

Soyeon nearly swooned when she heard the girl’s voice. She had never heard Yuqi speak before then, and she wasn’t expecting the girl to have such a deep voice. She forced herself to focus and smiled at Yuqi again. “I’ve seen you working out whenever I’m here,” she said, trying her best to sound casual. “I guess I was just wondering if you’d like to work out with me?” 

Yuqi’s eyes became even wider. “Me?” she asked, seemingly shocked. 

Soyeon furrowed her brows. “Yeah?” she said, faltering a bit. “It’s okay if you don’t want to, I just-” 

“No, no!” Yuqi interrupted, holding out her hands in a placating gesture. “I’d like that. I mean, that sounds fun, if you really want to. I’m not sure how great of a partner I’d be, but I’m sure you’re pretty good. Not that you’re not already good-” 

Soyeon laughed, amused at how Yuqi rambled. “Great,” she said. 

Yuqi offered her a small smile before swallowing and taking another drink of water. 

And that’s how they became workout buddies. It was a little strange at first, since Yuqi was awkward and they both had different routines, but they were able to work out a schedule that worked for both of them. 

Yuqi attended the gym every day, so she did her really intense stuff on the days when Soyeon wasn’t there. On the days she was, they exercised together and did relatively simple stuff. 

Soyeon was actually able to keep up with Yuqi pretty well, despite Yuqi’s constant concern and monitoring when Soyeon lifted heavy weight. Soyeon brushed it all off, determined to show that she could keep up. 

It was because of Yuqi that Soyeon found herself looking forward to going to the gym, which was a miracle within itself. Yuqi was really sweet, despite her awkward nature. On top of that, she was  _ hot  _ when she lifted heavy weights. 

So yeah, this new partnership was not doing anything to discourage her growing crush on Yuqi, but, in her defense, she felt she was making progress towards actually asking her out. Yuqi, from all the signals she had given, seemed just as into Soyeon as Soyeon was into her. Or Soyeon was projecting. One of the two. 

However, Soyeon did notice strange things about Yuqi. 

For one, the girl didn’t really seem to function outside of the gym. She had managed to learn that Yuqi worked as a part-time cook at a decent restaurant across town. But, other than that tad-bit of information, Yuqi was very secretive about her life. Whenever Soyeon asked, Yuqi almost immediately brushed off the question and changed the subject. 

It wasn’t the craziest thing. Yuqi could just be a very private person. It was only strange when Yuqi seemed confused about many of the things Soyeon talked about. From what she had seen, Yuqi didn’t really keep up with the news or any popular culture at all. Soyeon had off-handedly mentioned an episode of Game of Thrones she had watched, and Yuqi was mystified. Then, Soyeon brought up numerous popular TV shows, and Yuqi hadn’t heard of any of them. She seemed rather embarrassed about this fact, choosing to quickly change the subject towards Soyeon. 

And then there was the fact that Yuqi barely knew any songs that weren’t from nearly ten years ago. Soyeon had played numerous popular songs, and Yuqi had known none of them. When Soyeon asked what music she listened to, Yuqi listed a variety of older songs from the 90s and early 2000s. Again, this wasn’t unheard of, but Yuqi acted as if she hadn’t heard any modern music at all. She never seemed to listen to music when she was working out, which was rather strange by itself.

It all came to a head when Yuqi didn’t show up on Wednesday. Soyeon texted her a couple times, concerned, but Yuqi explained that she would be out of town for a couple days. 

Soyeon was rather suspicious, as it seemed a little sudden, but she accepted it nonetheless. So for almost a week and a half, Soyeon worked out alone, depressed and unmotivated. 

When it hit week two, Soyeon was becoming concerned. But then Yuqi texted, assuring her that she would be back in a few days. 

Soyeon accepted it, simply excited for her friend to return. 

However, when Yuqi did return, she seemed more subdued that usual. She tore through all of their exercises, as usual, but she seemed more tired than she normally was by the end. That, and Soyeon noticed she was wearing a pair of joggers and a tight long-sleeve shirt. It wasn’t cold outside, and normally, Yuqi tended towards a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. 

And then, when they were doing their cool-down stretches at the end, Yuqi’s shirt rode up slightly, exposing the side of her torso. Normally, Soyeon would be excited at this turn of events, as it offered a clear view of Yuqi’s toned stomach. However, this time, Soyeon only saw a wicked gash stretching along the entire side of her torso. 

It was red and irritated, and clearly recently inflicted. There were some messy stitches sealing the wound, but the extensive workout they had just completed hadn’t done the injury any favors. 

Soyeon couldn’t control the gasp that escaped her lips when she saw. Yuqi jerked her head towards her, her eyes narrowed in confusion, until she saw where Soyeon’s gaze was directed. 

Yuqi immediately frowned, grabbing the side of her shirt and pulling it down, covering the wound once again. “It’s nothing,” she said quickly, continuing with their stretches. 

Soyeon shook her head, a hand hovering over her mouth. “Yuqi, that’s not nothing,” she insisted, grabbing the girl’s hand and stopping her mid-stretch. “You should really go to a doctor. And you  _ definitely  _ shouldn’t be working out.” 

Yuqi’s expression was unreadable. “I’m telling you, I’m fine.” she insisted, trying for a smile. “Please just let it go.” 

Soyeon met the girl’s gaze, and Yuqi seemed to be silently pleading with her, begging her to let it go. After a moment, Soyeon sighed, releasing Yuqi’s hand and stepping back. Her gaze lingered on Yuqi’s side, where she knew the injury was lying under her shirt. 

Yuqi sighed, seemingly relieved as she continued stretching. Soyeon hesitated for a moment before joining her. 

When they left, Soyeon walked with Yuqi into the parking lot. “Are you going to tell me how you got that?” Soyeon asked after a moment of silence. 

Yuqi didn’t answer, but that was enough for Soyeon. 

Yuqi opened her mouth, struggling to come up with something to say. Soyeon held up her hand, her expression concerned. “Yuqi,” she said with a sigh. “Whatever you’re involved with, please be careful.” 

Yuqi closed her mouth, swallowing. 

Soyeon gave her one last look before turning and heading to her car. As she pulled out from the parking lot, she spared a glance at Yuqi, who was taking her time getting on her motorcycle. 

Something was going on with her workout partner, and Soyeon couldn’t help but be a little concerned.

The next time they worked out, Soyeon acted as if nothing had happened. Yuqi did the same, but she still threw worried glances over at Soyeon every so often. 

Soyeon still chided Yuqi when she did something especially arduous, but she knew it was no use. Whatever Yuqi didn’t do on these days, she would manage to fit in on those days Soyeon didn’t go to the gym with her. 

She could only hope that Yuqi was taking proper care of her injury.

A few days later, Soyeon had moved on, and she had finally gathered the courage to ask Yuqi to get lunch with her. She had it all planned out: she would casually bring up the fact that she was grabbing lunch as a local place afterwards, and extend a friendly invitation to Yuqi. If Yuqi said no, it was fine, because then Soyeon could grab comfort food on the way home and cry. If Yuqi said yes, then they could grab lunch and Soyeon could still get comfort food, just without any tears.

So, when they were doing their cool-down stretches, Soyeon put her plan into action. 

“Hey, so, I’m thinking about getting lunch from the diner a few blocks down,” she mentioned offhandedly. “You wanna join?”

Yuqi looked up at her, seemingly confused at her invitation. “You want to have lunch with me?” she asked.

Soyeon shrunk a little. “Yeah?” she said, laughing a little. “Is that so crazy?” 

Yuqi blinked and swallowed. “Um, yeah,” she choked out. 

“It is crazy?” Soyeon asked, alarmed. 

“No!” Yuqi said quickly. “I meant yes towards lunch! It’s not crazy, I want to go to lunch with you.” 

Soyeon sighed with relief. “Whew, okay,” she said, smiling. “Let me go clean up and I’ll meet you in the parking lot.” 

Yuqi nodded, and Soyeon struggled to control her excitement as she headed towards the locker room. 

She washed her hands, splashing some water on her face. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, murmuring encouragements to herself. “You’ve got this, Soyeon,” she whispered. “You got this. It’s just lunch. Just lunch.”

The woman approaching the sink gave her an odd look, and Soyeon blinked a couple times before exiting the bathroom.

She walked out of the gym and joined Yuqi in the parking lot. “Hey, you,” she said, smiling at her. Yuqi hesitantly returned it. “Let’s take my car, since the diner’s so close.” 

Soyeon wasn’t one to brag, but she was confident that this sort of date thing was going great. Yuqi was awkward, as usual, but Soyeon still found her adorable.

They were sharing a plate of fries and a couple milkshakes, laughing over a story Yuqi was sharing.

“I’m not kidding!” Yuqi insisted, her voice rising over Soyeon’s laughs. She was sure they were getting weird looks at this point, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

“You’re telling me,” Soyeon said skeptically, still laughing. “That a girl actually gave you her number when you were in the middle of a bar fight?”

“Yes!” Yuqi cried, hands raised in the air. Soyeon met her stare for about 2 seconds before she dissolved into another fit of laughter. 

“I don’t know what to be more surprised about,” Soyeon said, still recovering from her laughter. “That you got into a bar fight in the first place, or that a girl thought it was the appropriate time to give you her number.” 

“Yeah, I don’t know why she thought that was a good idea,” Yuqi admitted. “I almost got hit with a chair 'cause I was so confused.”

“Wait, so why were you in a bar fight in the first place?” Soyeon asked. 

Yuqi stiffened a bit, not significantly, but just enough that Soyeon noticed her discomfort. “Uh,” Yuqi said, hesitated as if deciding what her answer should be.

Soyeon tilted her head questioningly. 

“Well, the thing is-“ Yuqi began, but she was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering.

Both of them jumped, whipping their heads around to find that the waitress had dropped a glass of water while walking back to the kitchen. Soyeon relaxed, releasing a small breath of relief. 

Yuqi did the same, and Soyeon couldn’t help but notice the way her hands involuntarily clenched into fists and how she had subtly placed herself in front of Soyeon, edging towards the side of the booth to do so. 

Soyeon couldn’t help but notice these things, but she mystified as to why Yuqi acted in such a way. 

“Anyway,” Yuqi said, her deep voice interrupting whatever train of thought Soyeon was having. Soyeon turned her head back to Yuqi to find her with a small smile on her face. 

Soyeon couldn’t keep the blush from dusting her cheeks at the sight of a smiling Yuqi. She distracted herself by grabbing a fry and shoving it into her mouth, looking down at the table. 

“So, are you going to tell me why you got in a bar fight?” Soyeon asked, struggling to find an adequate distraction from Yuqi’s smile. 

Yuqi chuckled slightly, and a glance from Soyeon found that none of her earlier discomfort was obvious. Yuqi was relaxed and unworried about the question now, it would seem. “Yeah, it was just this guy being an asshole to a girl at the bar,” she explained nonchalantly. “I told him to back off, and he took it the wrong way, apparently.” 

Soyeon laughed a little. “No wonder a girl gave you her number,” she said. “So chivalrous.” 

Yuqi scratched the back of her neck awkwardly at the comment. “Haha, yeah,” she said.

They talked for a bit longer before Yuqi checked the time, her eyes becoming wide. “Oh my gosh,” she said in a way that Soyeon did  _ not  _ find absolutely adorable. “I have to go, I’m so sorry.” 

Soyeon waved her off, standing from the table and leaving a few bills, enough to pay for both of their meals. Yuqi started to protest, but Soyeon shut her down with a flat look. 

“It's no problem,” she said. “C’mon, I’ll drive you back.” 

It was over quicker than Soyeon would have liked. Yuqi was clearly in a rush, so there was no time for a lingering goodbye. Soyen simply gave her a quick smile as Yuqi thanked her and said goodbye, rushing over to her parked motorcycle. 

She was out of the parking lot in seconds, speeding down the street a little too fast to be safe. 

Soyeon paused, watching as her figure disappeared down the street. She wondered what was so important. 

  
  


When Yuqi came in to work out two days later, she was an absolute mess, and Soyeon was saying that in the nicest way possible. Obviously, Yuqi was still very attractive, but she was pale, unsteady, and there were pronounced bags under her eyes that weren’t there before.

“Hey, did you get any sleep last night?” Soyeon asked carefully as Yuqi unsteadily dropped the dumbbell she had been curling and immediately sat down. 

Yuqi nodded, but it was clear she was lying. She had been quiet and reserved all day, barely able to lift the weight she could normally do pretty easily. 

She closed her eyes as she sat down, leaning her head back against the wall and breathing heavily. 

Soyeon sighed, dropping her own weight and plopping down next to her. Yuqi started, opening her eyes and looking over at Soyeon beside her. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, already beginning to stand. “We can keep going-” 

Soyeon didn’t let her finish, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back down to the floor next to her. “C’mon, I want to show you something.” 

Yuqi started to protest, gesturing back towards the workout equipment. Soyeon easily waved her off. “Yuqi, we work out all the time, we can take a break today.” 

Soyeon pulled out her phone, pulling up Youtube and typing on her screen. Yuqi couldn’t see what she was doing, but an involuntary smile had already crept up on her face as she watched Soyeon’s brows furrow as she focused on the screen. 

Her eyes lit up as she stopped scrolling, and she looked up at Yuqi with a smile. “Here, check this out,” she told her. 

Soyeon handed over her phone and passed over her headphones so Yuqi could hear the video. Yuqi was a little confused, but she accepted the device nonetheless.

She watched with furrowed brows as the video seemed to show an empty room with five girls standing at the center. And then, without warning, music played through the speakers and the girls began to dance. Their movements were sharp and synchronized, and Yuqi found herself hypnotized at the sight. The music blasted through her ears, but she didn’t care about the loud volume, too focused on the way the dancers were able to move to the beat of the song so well. The song was slow and steady, but filled with heavy bass and clever lines and composition. The combination of both the dance and the song had Yuqi enraptured. 

As for Soyeon, she watched, almost anxiously, as Yuqi stared at the screen. She had been nervous to show her this video, as the choreography and the song were her own. Soyeon had worked for months to put this song and dance together, and she was proud. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it if Yuqi didn’t like it. 

Although that was looking less and less likely, she had to admit. Yuqi looked positively hypnotized by the video, her eyes darting around every corner of the screen, trying to take in every last detail. Her lips were slightly parted and her brown eyes were wide. Soyeon couldn’t help the smile that creeped up on her face as she watched Yuqi react to the video. It was strange, seeing Yuqi so fascinated by something. She was normally not very expressive. 

But, seeing her like this just made Soyeon’s feelings for her grow even more. Watching the way her eyes darted around the screen, the way her eyebrows raised with shock and awe as she watched the dancers perform a particularly hard move, the way she gasped so quietly Soyeon could barely hear, Soyeon felt a warm feeling bloom in her chest. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, the song ended, and the dancers moved towards their final positions, looking at the camera with an intense stare. 

Yuqi looked up at her, eyes wide and lips parted. “That was amazing!” she said, a bit too loudly. 

Soyeon jumped a little at the volume, laughing and reaching up to take the earbuds from Yuqi’s ears. Yuqi shrunk a little when she realized how loud she had spoken, pink dusting her cheeks. “Sorry,” she said, nearly whispering this time. “But that was  _ amazing!  _ How did they even do that? The song was so great, and the dancers’ moves were so synchronized, they must have practiced so much-” 

Soyeon laughed, unable to hold it in. Yuqi looked up at her, her brows scrunched in confusion. “What?” she asked. “Did I say something wrong?” 

“No, no,” Soyeon quickly clarified. “You’re just cute.” 

She blinked. She hadn’t meant to say that. Yuqi seemed just as mystified, her eyes widening and her face flushing a deep red. 

“So,” Yuqi said, trying not to dwell on the fact that Soyeon called her cute, lest she combust on the spot. “Why did you show me that? It was  _ so  _ cool, but why?” 

Soyeon shrugged. “I’ve never shown anyone outside my work my songs before,” she admitted. “I thought you might like it.” 

Yuqi’s jaw dropped. “ _ Wait.”  _ she said slowly. “That was your song?” 

Soyeon smiled a bit, nodding. “And I choreographed the dance.” 

Yuqi’s face was covered by her beaming smile. “Oh my gosh, Soyeon!” she exclaimed. “That is amazing! You’re so talented, why did you never tell me?” 

Soyeon flushed. She hadn’t expected Yuqi to get so excited. She had never seen her smile that big. Soyeon wasn’t complaining, though, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering rapidly at the sight. She reached up and scratched the back of her neck, suddenly shy. 

“Ah, I don’t know,” she replied. “I don’t usually talk about work with anyone. I just thought you needed something to distract you. You looked pretty out of it.” 

Yuqi’s smile faded slightly, and Soyeon kicked herself for even mentioning it. “I’m fine, Soyeon, I swear,” she insisted, her face becoming a tad darker. “But I’m so glad you showed me. That song was amazing, the choreography was amazing, you’re amazing-” 

Soyeon couldn’t take it anymore. It had been building up for weeks now, and seeing Yuqi talk so excitedly and openly, complimenting  _ her  _ work, Soyeon broke. She surged forward, pressing her lips against Yuqi’s and resting her hand against the girl’s cheek. 

Yuqi stiffened, surprised by the sudden action, before relaxing a bit and leaning forwards into the kiss. Soyeon might have imagined it in her haze of feelings, but she could’ve  _ sworn  _ Yuqi was kissing her back. 

And then reality was washing over her and she immediately pulled back, eyes wide with the realization of what she had done. 

“Yuqi, oh my god, I’m so sorry-” 

And then she was cut off as Yuqi pulled her back and fiercely kissed her. Soyeon’s brain stopped working for a good few seconds, and she might have forgotten to breathe, but she eventually kissed her back, savoring the moment and pulling Yuqi even closer. Just as Yuqi’s hands began to creep towards the back of her neck, they froze, and Yuqi slowly pulled away, leaving Soyeon aching for more. 

They stared at each other for a moment, and Soyeon felt her heart race even faster as she saw a look of uncertainty cross Yuqi’s face. Had she overstepped after all? She shouldn't have done that. It was a fluke. Yuqi wasn’t into her like that and she had just ruined everything. 

Her face dropped as these thoughts raced through her mind, ruining her blissful memory of the kiss and tainting the tingling feeling still lingering on her lips. 

“I, uh, I’m sorry,” Yuqi stammered, avoiding her eyes. Soyeon’s heart physically broke when she heard the girl speak. “I can’t do this right now. Not now.” 

Soyeon swallowed, ignoring the burning in the back of her throat and the tears pricking at her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” Yuqi said. She abruptly stood, barely remembering to grab her things before rushing out of the gym. “I can’t risk it,” she muttered, barely loud enough for Soyeon to hear. 

But she did hear, and she was left looking at the place where Yuqi had been standing with a mixture of confusion and devastation. 

She couldn’t risk it? 

Soyeon could barely focus on it, though, too distracted by her effort to keep from crying. She waited a few moments, until she was sure Yuqi would be gone from the parking lot, and then she stood and slowly grabbed her things, heading towards the door. She ignored the weird looks from the other people in the gym, her gaze directed towards the ground as she walked. 

Her lip trembled as she got in her car, and she didn’t dare look towards where Yuqi usually parked her motorcycle, too scared that Yuqi might still be there. 

She broke right then and there, letting tears run down her cheeks and fall into her lap. 

Yuqi didn’t like her. She didn’t like her, and Soyeon had ruined everything in a moment of weakness. And to think that she actually thought she had a chance for a second. Now Yuqi was gone, and she would probably never come back. 

Fuck. 

She definitely had to find a different gym now. 

  
  


It was the day after the  _ incident _ when everything went to shit. 

Soyeon obviously still felt rather horrible, but she still dragged her sorry ass out of bed and went to work. If there was one thing that could distract her, it was her work. 

She knew it would probably be a late night for her, not that she really minded. She needed the distraction and her work offered the perfect solution. 

Work was pretty normal for a while. Soyeon spent a few hours working on one of her newer tracks, struggling to find the right sound she was looking for. She decided to take a break and move towards the practice room to work on some dances. 

She spent a couple hours on that one, becoming increasingly frustrated as she couldn’t figure out how to do a certain move. 

The entire time, Yuqi was hovering in the back of her mind. Her perfect smile, the way she tilted her head a little when she was confused, the little furrow in her brow when she was focused. 

Yeah, Soyeon was screwed.

Nonetheless, she dragged her way through the choreography and headed back to the studio, frustrated and tired. 

When she checked the time, she was surprised to find it was already late, and many of the employees were starting to head home for the day. Soyeon didn’t like the idea of going back to her empty house, with only her thoughts as company, so she decided to mess with the song a bit longer. 

A bit longer turned into an hour, which turned into 3 hours, and suddenly it was midnight, and Soyeon was exhausted.

She finally sat back in her chair, allowing herself a groan of frustration and exhaustion. This song was kicking her ass, and she still couldn’t get it to sound just right. It was infuriating. 

A bang sounded from somewhere back in the studio, and Soyeon immediately sat up, her eyes wide and alert. 

What was that?

Soyeon stared at the door for what felt like hours. No one else should be at the studio at this hour, and they certainly shouldn’t have made a sound that loud. 

She gathered her courage, taking a deep breath before standing and walking over to the door of the recording room she was in. 

She grasped the handle, prepared to go outside and find that it was nothing, that the binder that had been precariously balanced on the top shelf for weeks had finally fallen, only for another crash to echo through the building. Soyeon jumped back, effectively scared out of leaving the room. She took another step backwards, her eyes trained solely on the window, looking for any sign of activity. 

There was none, but there were definitely more sounds. And they were getting louder. Soyeon jumped as the sound of a yell sounded. The voice was definitely from a man, the tone of it gruff and deep. 

Soyeon shrunk back to the far end of the room, her heart nearly beating out of her chest as she heard the sounds get closer and closer to her room. 

And then, Soyeon nearly jumped out of her own skin as a figure appeared in front of the window of the recording room. They hadn’t seen her, yet, and Soyeon silently prayed that it would stay that way. 

Unfortunately, the figure glanced down the hallway outside, seemingly checking to see if anyone was following, before creeping back and opening the door to the recording room, their back still facing her. 

Soyeon watched with wide eyes as the figure slunked inside, still unaware of her presence. They were too focused on looking outside to check and see if anyone was there. 

They were smaller than Soyeon expected, skinny and short. They were dressed in all black, cargo pants tucked into a pair of combat boots and a dark hood covering their face. Soyeon’s heart nearly stopped when she saw the twin swords lined up in an ‘x’ across their back. 

She couldn’t just sit there and wait for them to notice her. Soyeon breathed in as quietly as possible, trying to keep from panicking. As quietly as she could, she stood, barely breathing as she crept to the right side of the room, her eyes trained on the mic stand propped up against the wall. If she could hit the guy with it, it might give her enough time to get out of the building. 

Thankfully, the stranger still hadn’t seen her. They were still staring out the window, their chest moving rapidly up and down as if they had just run a mile. 

Soyeon wrapped her hands around the mic stand, closing her eyes and gathering her courage. She just had to pick it up, cross the room in a couple steps and hit the guy in the head. 

Simple. 

She counted down in her head, biting her lip to keep her breathing under control. 

_ Okay, okay, okay,  _ she thought, gripping the stand even tighter.  _ You’ve got this, Soyeon. You’ve got it. Let’s go. Let’s go! _

Without warning, she picked up the mic stand, lifting it above her head and closing the distance between her and the figure and launching the stand directly towards the person’s head.

They didn’t have time to react, noticing Soyeon’s presence just a bit too late, and the mic stand smashed directly into their face. Soyeon probably could have done it harder, but sue her, she was nervous.

They grunted in pain, stumbling back to the floor and tightly clutching their nose. Soyeon wasted no time before moving past them towards the door, her heart racing and threatening to beat out of her chest. 

Soyeon wrapped her hands around the handle, about to turn it when a hand wrapped  around her ankle, pulling her back. 

Soyeon couldn’t help but yelp, ripping her foot away and opening the door. 

“No!” the person hissed, making another grab for her ankle and struggling to stand, still dazed from the mic stand. 

Soyeon stiffened. She knew that voice. 

Her eyes widened, and she turned around to face the person on the ground, her jaw dropping as she took in the familiar curly hair and brown eyes. Her hood had been thrown off when she fell, and her nose was pouring blood, presumably because Soyeon had just smashed a large mic stand directly into her face. 

Yuqi barely looked at her, her eyes wide in alarm and panic as she stumbled to her feet, almost falling over as she pushed past Soyeon and grabbed the door, quickly pulling it shut. She crouched beneath the window, grabbing Soyeon’s wrist and dragging her down to the floor as well. 

Soyeon opened her mouth to ask  _ what the hell was going on,  _ but Yuqi waved for her to be quiet. Soyeon had never seen her so alarmed and desperate, so she listened, snapping her mouth shut and furrowing her brows. 

Yuqi bit her lip, eyes wide as she rose up just enough to take a peek out the door, only to immediately drop down again, her eyes wide and panicked. Yuqi glanced at her, motioning for her to stay quiet, her eyes pleading. 

Soyeon didn’t dare make a sound, listening closely. Her heart almost stopped when she heard the heavy footsteps walking by the room, hesitating for only a moment before continuing onward, passing the door. 

Soyeon couldn’t hold in her quiet sigh of relief as the footsteps faded.

Then she glanced at Yuqi, her heartstrings pulling as her eyes drifted towards the blood still pouring from her nose and staining her upper lip. 

She met the girl’s eyes, mouthing a quick ‘sorry’ and gesturing towards Yuqi’s nose. Yuqi looked almost confused for a moment, wondering why she would be sorry and only understanding when she saw Soyeon’s gesture towards her nose. 

Yuqi waved her off, as if it was no big deal that Soyeon had definitely broken the girl’s nose. Honestly, it was amazing that Yuqi was barely showing any reaction, considering that must have hurt like a bitch. 

Adrenaline was an amazing thing, she guessed. 

Yuqi spared another glance out the window, standing just enough to peek out the window again. She didn’t drop down this time, instead motioning for Soyeon to stand with her. Soyeon took a deep breath, struggling to control her racing heart, and she stood up as quietly as she could. 

Yuqi motioned for her to grab the mic stand again, and Soyeon gave her a flat look. Yuqi returned with a look of her own, one that said, “are we really doing this right now?” She jerked her head aggressively towards the mic stand, taking another quick glance at the door to see if anyone was there.

Soyeon frowned, but she grabbed the mic stand again, wrapping her hands around the metal in a white knuckle grip. Yuqi nodded at her, reaching back and wrapping her own hand around the hilt of one of the swords. Soyeon swallowed as she unsheathed the blade, her mouth suddenly dry as she took in the deadly sword. 

Soyeon shook her head a bit, her eyes wide. She reached out and slapped Yuqi’s arm, grabbing her attention and giving her an incredulous look. “What is going on? What the  _ fuck. _ ” she hissed. 

Yuqi frowned, biting her lip and glancing back at the door. “Later,” she mouthed. “I promise. We have to go.” 

Soyeon sighed, but she nodded. 

Yuqi moved towards the door, clutching the sword in her left hand and motioning for Soyeon to follow her with the other. She obeyed, crouching a bit lower and following Yuqi’s lead as she opened the door as quietly as possible. She peeked around either corner, turning back and motioning for Soyeon to follow her. 

They made their way down the hallway and ducked into a small alcove as they heard a sound from farther down. Yuqi pulled her a bit closer, positioning Soyeon behind her, just in case any of the intruders found them. 

Yuqi was careful to aim the blade of her sword away from them, holding it close to her side. She leaned back towards Soyeon, keeping her eyes trained down the hallway. “Is there a side exit or something?” she hissed, clutching her sword a bit tighter as there was a crash and a yell of frustration from the room down the hallway. It was only a matter of time before the intruders found them. 

Soyeon nodded, also staring down the hallway. “It’s over there,” she said, pointing to the doorway just before the end of the hallway. 

A few feet from the room where the intruders were. 

Yuqi cursed, breathing out a frustrated sigh. “No other exits? Maybe a window?” she asked, hoping for some sort of miracle. 

Soyeon shook her head, flinching as the men began speaking to each other, loud enough for them to hear but not so loud that they could make out what was being said. 

Yuqi took a few seconds to think, trying to think of the best way to get Soyeon out safely. The intruders were after _her_ , she knew. Soyeon was just involved to lure her out. As long as they were distracted by Yuqi, Soyeon could get away. 

She nodded to herself. It wasn’t likely she would make it out, but as long as Soyeon made it out okay, it was worth it. 

“Okay, Soyeon,” Yuqi said, reaching into the side of her left boot and pulling a knife free from the shoe. “Here’s the plan,” 

She handed the knife to Soyeon hilt first, and Soyeon blinked as she held it, eyes wide as she took in the wicked blade, the hilt detailed and ornate. It looked way too fancy to just give away. “Wait-” 

“No, there’s no time,” Yuqi said. “I’m going to go distract them. Once they're busy with me, I want you to run to the exit. Be careful, stay low, and get out. If you get in trouble, that’s what the knife is for.” 

_ No.  _ Soyeon aggressively shook her head. This was all happening way too fast. There was no way they weren’t leaving here together. Soyeon wouldn't let that happen. 

Yuqi just grabbed her shoulders, forcing the girl to look her in the eyes. “Soyeon, please,” she pleaded. “You need to get out, okay? They’re after me. I’m sorry I got you into this mess, but I promise I’ll get you out.” 

“ _ No. _ ” Soyeon hissed. “I want to help. They’ll kill you.” 

Yuqi opened her mouth to respond, but the gruff sound of a man’s yell interrupted them. “Song Yuqi!” called the man, anger clear in his voice. Yuqi stiffened, her grip on Soyeon’s shoulder becoming slightly tighter. “Come on out! We know you’re here!” 

Soyeon opened her mouth to ask a question, but Yuqi shook her head, her face set into a grim frown. She took a hand off Soyeon’s shoulder and reached down to grab her sword from where she had set it on the floor. 

“C’mon, now!” The man said, laughing a mocking laugh. “You know it’s only a matter of time before we find you and your little  _ girlfriend.  _ Let’s just get this over with.” 

The grip on her sword got even tighter, her knuckles white. Soyeon’s eyes widened as she heard the man. He was talking about  _ her.  _

She looked up at Yuqi, only to find that the girl’s face was set into a glare filled with quiet rage. 

“Maybe if you come out now, we won’t hurt her,” he said, laughing once again. “Then again, maybe we’ll make you watch while we kill her in front of you.” his voice became more serious then, a clear threat in his words. 

Soyeon paled a bit. 

Yuqi stood, and Soyeon immediately followed, grabbing her arm and aggressively shaking her head. “No!” she mouthed. “They’ll kill you.” 

Yuqi’s eyes softened as she looked at Soyeon. She was beautiful, even pale-faced and panicked. Yuqi allowed herself a moment to take in the details of her face, committing them to memory. The dark brown of her eyes, the way her hair framed her face, how her lips looked when they were mouthing something about how stupid Yuqi was being. Yuqi grimaced. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, so quiet that Soyeon could barely hear her. “Please get out while you can.” she begged.

Soyeon grabbed her arm again, only for Yuqi to shock her to her core, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss against her lips. 

Soyeon didn’t even need Yuqi to tell her it was a goodbye kiss. She didn’t realize she was crying until Yuqi was stepping away, drawing both of her swords and sparing her one last look. 

“You want me?” Yuqi yelled, and Soyeon had to withhold a sob as Yuqi sprinted down the hallway. “Come and get me!” 

The men were yelling, and Soyeon could hear swords clashing, along with a spray of gunshots. 

She brought a trembling hand up to her face, wiping away her tears and steeling herself. There was no way Yuqi’s sacrifice would be in vain, even if she was being incredibly stupid. 

She ignored the way her heart hammered in her chest, the way it broke every time she heard a yell or a gunshot and imagined Yuqi getting hurt. Or killed. 

She gripped the beautiful knife a bit harder, wrapping her hands around the hilt and taking a deep breath. 

She just had to get to the exit. 

Shoving the knife into her pocket, she steeled herself. 

Without wasting any more time, Soyeon stepped out into the hallway, staying low, just like Yuqi told her to. She could see blood on the floor at the end of the hallway, and she struggled to keep her thoughts from drifting to Yuqi. She ignored the yells and grunts of pain coming from the room next to the exit. 

She was almost there, she could almost taste the fresh air of the parking lot. 

And then, 

“Finally!” the man’s voice called. Soyeon flinched when she heard Yuqi grunt in pain, and the sound of her being thrown to the tile. “Where’s your little girlfriend, huh?” he asked mockingly. 

Soyeon closed her eyes, but she continued to the exit. 

“She’s not here,” Yuqi coughed. Her voice was hard and angry, even deeper than it normally was.

There was silence, a small rustle. 

Soyeon kept going. She was a few feet away. 

“I think you’re lying,” the man said. It was quieter, but Soyeon could still hear it. “Regardless, we’ll find her. There’s no way she’s getting out of this building alive.” 

Soyeon ignored him, wrapping her hand around the doorknob. She twisted as quietly as she could. As soon as the door was open, she would launch into a dead sprint towards her car. 

At least, that’s what she would have done, had she not heard the man’s next words. 

She was rooted to the spot as he spoke. “Besides, it’s not like she could make it very far, anyway,” he said. Soyeon could hear the smugness in his tone. “We have a sniper on top of the building watching every exit.” 

Her eyes widened, and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. 

_ There goes that plan. _

Soyeon backed away, determined to return back to the little alcove and plan from there, only for the doorknob to make a rather loud sound as she let go.

She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. 

Footsteps sounded, coming closer and closer, and Soyeon mentally said ‘screw it.’ 

She took off down the hallway, not caring how much noise she made. Footsteps thundered behind her, but she continued, ducking back into the alcove. 

“Soyeon!” called Yuqi from the room down the hall, her voice cracking. “There’s two of them-” 

Her voice was cut off as she groaned in pain, presumably because of the man. Soyeon scowled, struggling to control her anger as she reached down and grabbed the mic stand she had dropped earlier. 

The footsteps were coming closer, it was only a matter of time. She could probably take one out while they turned the corner, but that still left one she didn’t know how to deal with. 

There was no time, though, and Soyeon could only suck in a deep breath as a man turned the corner. She launched the mic stand directly into his face with as much strength as she could muster. The sound of it colliding with his face echoed through the room, and he tumbled to the ground, unconscious. 

Which left the other man. Who was currently switching gazes between the unconscious man on the floor and Soyeon, his eyes filled with rage.

He towered over her as he stomped forwards. 

Soyeon panicked, backing up and desperately searching for any sort of weapon she could grab. She had been forced to drop the mic stand after hitting the first man.

Just as the man was about to reach her, Soyeon panicked and grabbed the small potted plant sitting on the desk, not hesitating before launching it into his face. 

He grunted, stumbling back for a moment. Soyeon took her chance, trying to push past him and flee towards the hallway. She was almost there, she had almost turned the corner, only for a hand to roughly grab her wrist and pull her back, aggressively pushing her to the ground. 

She landed with a grunt, trying her best to stumble back up and get away, but the man quickly dragged her up and threw her against the wall, leaving her dazed from the collision. 

“Don’t touch her!” Soyeon heard Yuqi scream.

Soyeon blinked a few times, and before she knew it, she was being dragged back down the hallway, towards the room with the blood. Towards Yuqi and the man. 

Soyeon frowned. That plant had been her favorite.

Before she could dwell anymore on it, she was being thrown roughly to the ground, landing with a grunt on the tile. She glanced around. They were in the lobby, a large empty space decorated with little furniture. Minnie had called in minimalistic. Soyeon had thought it was boring. 

Blood stained the floor. Soyeon forced herself to look up, her eyes widening as she looked in front of her. 

Yuqi was kneeling against the ground, a man standing above her and hovering a wickedly sharp sword just above her throat. She was sitting straight up, her back arched into an uncomfortable position as the man held a hand against her shoulder, keeping her in place. She was covered in blood, her face pale and bruised. 

She looked at Soyeon with a panicked stare, her eyes clouded with alarm and fear. 

There was a man standing next to her, presumably the one who had spoken earlier. He was tall, wearing a crisp suit that seemed a little too formal for this occasion. His smile was greasy and intimidating, and he stared at Soyeon as if Christmas had come early. 

Soyeon stumbled to her feet, throwing a wary look to the man on her left, the one who had dragged her here. She was satisfied to see that his nose was bleeding from where she had hit him with the plant. At least its sacrifice hadn’t been in vain. 

“So,” the man said, and her eyes darted back to meet his gaze. She could see Yuqi struggling in her periphery. “You’re the one causing all this trouble?” 

Soyeon swallowed, trying to keep her gaze steady. Her hands shook. 

The man walked closer, and Yuqi released a growl full of warning. Soyeon didn’t dare move. “My name is Mark,” he told her, staring at her with narrowed eyes. “And I’m truly sorry to bring you into this mess.” 

Soyeon fixed him with an even stare. He didn’t seem very sorry. 

The man, Mark, continued. “You see, Yuqi here killed a dear friend of mine a few years ago.” 

Soyeon couldn’t keep her eyes from widening , her gaze darting over to Yuqi. 

“No, it’s not what you think-” the girl stammered, still struggling against the man holding her. “I had to-” 

She was effectively silenced by a brutal kick to her side from the other guard, causing her to fall against the tile with a groan. The first guard dragged her back up, placing the sword back against her throat.

“She killed him,” Mark continued as if nothing had happened at all. “And I’d say I’m entitled to some revenge, wouldn’t you agree?” 

Soyeon dared to take a step back, still staying silent. 

“Mark, you piece of shit,” came Yuqi’s rage-filled yell. “It’s me you want revenge on, leave her out of it!” 

Mark seemed to pause for a moment. “Am I not doing exactly what you did to me, Song Yuqi?” he asked, his eyes never leaving Soyeon. “You took someone close to me, I think it’s only fair I do the same.” 

“I had to!” Yuqi screamed, her voice becoming desperate as Mark moved even closer towards Soyeon, unbothered by the way Soyeon rapidly backed away. Soyeon’s heart pounded in her chest as she noticed the glint of a knife in the man’s right hand. “You know I had to! He would have killed me! I’m sorry! It wasn’t personal!” 

Mark shook his head, glancing back at Yuqi long enough to laugh at her. He turned back towards Soyeon, evidently amused. “It took _ so long _ for her to get close to anyone, you know,” he told her, his eyebrows raised. “We watched for a really long time, but no luck.” 

He fixed her with a hard gaze, and Soyeon swallowed. “Until  _ you. _ ” 

“No!” Yuqi yelled as Mark took another threatening step towards Soyeon. 

“One of my guys caught you two in that cute little diner down the street,” Mark continued casually. “Yuqi here doesn’t normally stay with anyone that long. Don’t worry though, I sent a few guys to give her some trouble afterwards. As a reminder that someone was watching.”

Ah. So that was why Yuqi was in a hurry to leave that day. She had been worried someone was watching them. _And_ that was likely why she had been tired and out of it the next day, probably because she had to deal with those assholes tailing her. 

Soyeon had no idea what to do. She was alone, fresh out of weapons, options, and ideas. 

She met eyes with Yuqi once again as her back hit the wall. She had nowhere to go. Yuqi looked at her with pleading eyes, and Soyeon’s heart shattered at the tears now freely streaming down the girl’s face. 

Soyeon looked back at Mark, steeling her face into one of determination. She might not make it, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. 

She let Mark get closer and closer, banking on the fact that he felt sure of his win. He would draw it out, long enough to adequately mock Yuqi. 

As soon as he got close enough, he hovered the blade of the knife over her jawline, almost teasingly. Soyeon held her breath, closing her eyes as she blade skimmed over her skin. She had to time it right. 

She reached a hand into her pocket, her skin grazing against the cold hilt of the knife Yuqi had given her. She had just remembered it. 

Soyeon hoped it would be enough.

Yuqi was begging, now, pleading with the man to let her go, to not hurt her, and Soyeon’s anger only grew as she heard the anguish in the girl’s voice. 

She might not know exactly what was going on, but she knew she wasn’t going to sit there and let Yuqi suffer. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to let some stranger kill her because of a stupid grudge.

So she opened her eyes, staring at Mark in the eyes before launching her knee directly into his groin. She pulled back as far as she could, dodging the strike of his knife as he groaned in pain, curling within himself. She slapped the knife from his hands while he was distracted before taking out her own knife and slamming the hilt of the blade into Mark’s temple with as much force as she could muster.

It was enough, it seemed. 

Mark collapsed limply to the ground, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. 

Soyeon blinked. 

And then all hell broke loose.

Yuqi used the distraction to break free of the man holding her, grabbing the sharp end of t he blade with one hand, ignoring the sharp cuts it tore through her fingers, before violently grabbing the man’s arm and twisting it. A sickening crack echoed through the area, and the man fell to the ground with a cry of pain, clutching his now broken arm. 

With that man dealt with, there were still two more guards, and they were both rushing towards Soyeon, weapons drawn. 

Yuqi growled as Soyeon shrunk back, still gripping her knife with a white knuckle grip. 

With a speed that should have been impossible, Yuqi seized one of her abandoned  swords from the ground, sprinting towards the first man and swiping the blade at his legs. The sword cut into his calf, causing him to stumble and fall. Yuqi wasted no time before slamming her foot into his face, knocking him out. 

Just as she was about to move on, the sound of Soyeon’s yelp had her whipping her head around in alarm. 

Her eyes wide, she took in the sight of Soyeon clutched in the last man’s grasp, her own knife pressed uncomfortably close against her throat. Yuqi’s heart nearly stopped as Soyeon weakly struggled, trying to shrink back from the blade.

The man gave her a warning look, nodding towards the sword still tightly gripped in her hand, his order clear. 

Yuqi clenched her jaw, barely withholding a growl as the knife was pressed even harder, drawing a small whimper from the shorter girl. 

Yuqi dropped the sword, raising her hands in surrender. 

She shared a look with Soyeon, her eyes narrowed and angry as Soyeon swallowed. The man released a small chuckle as he took in the sight of Yuqi surrendering. 

Yuqi just clenched her jaw even harder. She couldn’t help that flare of anger at the sight of blood forming where the blade of the knife pressed into Soyeon’s skin. 

The man was still staring at her with a smile, confident in his victory. 

“So here’s what’s going to happen--” 

The man didn’t have time to finish his plan, too focused on the throwing knife suddenly lodged in his hand. 

He screamed, his eyes wide as he dropped the knife and immediately released Soyeon in favor of clutching his bleeding hand. 

Soyeon stumbled away, blinking. She had barely seen Yuqi move. The girl had been incredibly fast, grabbing the knife from inside her sleeve and throwing it at the man with deadly accuracy. 

And now she was approaching the guard, a quiet rage simmering in her eyes. She didn’t say a word as she pushed him to the ground, taking the hilt of her knife and bluntly withdrawing it from where it was embedded in his hand.

He yelled, blood now pouring out of the large gaping wound on his hand, but Yuqi paid him no mind, simply wiping the blood off the knife and onto the cloth of her shirt. She gave him a sharp glare, and Yuqi didn’t miss the way his eyes widened in fear. A cold smile made its way onto her face at the sight. 

She moved towards the man, the knife brandished, clearly displaying her intention. 

Before she could do anything, a small hand was wrapping around her bicep, pulling her back. “Yuqi, leave him,” Soyeon said quietly. “Let’s just go.” 

Yuqi swallowed, fixing the man with a cold glare. 

She had never done this. It was stupid to leave witnesses at the scene, she had learned that much. And if she didn’t kill Mark and his henchmen now, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t come after her or Soyeon again. The very thought made her simmer with anger. 

But then she glanced at Soyeon, noticing the pleading look in her eye, and the slight trembling in her hand. Most of all, she noticed the small cut visible on her neck, and the beginnings of a bruise from where the man had held her. 

Soyeon had gotten hurt because of her. She had gotten hurt because Yuqi was selfish and didn’t think before getting attached to someone. 

Yuqi swallowed. Then she nodded, lowering the knife so that it fell to her side. 

Just as she expected, right when she lowered her weapon, the man made his move, striking out with a wild punch and a desperate yell. Yuqi didn’t even flinch, easily dodging the punch and stepping around him. She swept his legs out from under him, leaving him to fall to the floor in a heap. Yuqi kicked him a few times, drawing out a couple quiet winces from Soyeon, before she eventually slammed her boot into his face, knocking him out. 

She clenched her fist. Just because she wasn’t killing him didn’t mean she couldn’t rough him up a little. 

“Watch out!” came Soyeon’s panicked voice from her left. 

Yuqi whipped her head around, barely dodging a strike from the man whose arm she had broken earlier. She swiped out with her leg, planting the tip of her boot into the man’s torso. He groaned, stumbling back. Yuqi approached him and, with a solid punch to the face, the man was on the ground. She quickly knocked him unconscious before looking around the room to see if anyone else was planning on surprising her. 

There was no one, besides the limp forms of the men unconscious on the floor. Surprisingly, it seemed that Mark had come with a limited amount of muscle. 

“Yuqi?” Soyeon hesitantly asked, breaking Yuqi’s line of thinking. 

She shook her head, turning towards Soyeon and meeting her gaze. She expected fear, hatred, or some form of disgust. 

To her surprise, Soyeon looked at her with only concern. There was still lingering confusion and slight fear in her gaze, but Soyeon didn’t hate her. 

Yuqi released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. 

“Soyeon, I’m so sorry-”

“You’re hurt,” Soyeon interrupted, already walking towards her. Yuqi furrowed her brows in confusion, blinking a few times as Soyeon approached. 

Then the dull ache in her hand suddenly became a sharp, stinging pain, and Yuqi remembered the deep cuts still torn through her fingers. She winced, glancing down at her bloody hand. 

Before she could dwell anymore on it, Soyeon was carefully lifting Yuqi’s hand to eye-level, her gaze filled with worry as she took in the injury. Yuqi swallowed at the contact, her cheeks flushing. 

Soyeon paid no attention, though, too focused on the cuts marring Yuqi’s hand. They were rather deep, and Yuqi risked some serious scarring or infection if she didn’t treat it soon. 

Without really thinking about it, Soyeon walked over to the help desk, located a few meters from the entrance to the lobby, grabbing a handful of napkins Minnie always kept handy, just in case they were needed. Soyeon internally snorted. Minnie probably didn’t foresee her napkins being used like this. 

Yuqi watched Soyeon with curious eyes. She wasn’t doing anything abnormal, in fact she looked rather focused and unbothered, committed to the task at hand. Which was exactly what was weird. Soyeon should be practically hysterical right now, considering she had almost been killed nearly three times in the space of an hour. And the fact that Yuqi literally burst into her recording studio with a pair of swords and multiple assassins intent on killing the both of them. 

Yet, Soyeon was only worried about Yuqi’s injury. 

Yuqi was abruptly pulled from her thoughts when a sharp pain shot through her hand as Soyeon pressed the napkins against the cuts. Yuqi hissed, looking up at Soyeon with affronted eyes. “Hey!” she said. “Some warning would have been nice, you know,” 

Soyeon gave her a flat look. “Really?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Yuqi scowled and looked away, but she didn’t say anything, and Soyeon took it as a win. She also pointedly ignored how cute Yuqi was when she pouted. 

Now was absolutely not the time to be gay. 

“Okay, just stay here,” Soyeon said. “I’m gonna go grab some bandages from the supply closet. I think Miyeon forced us to get a first aid kit because she said we were seriously lacking in any common sense and we were going to get ourselves hurt one day.” 

Yuqi nodded sagely. “Agreed.” 

“Shut up,” Soyeon said. “Just stay here and try not to almost kill anyone else while I’m gone, okay?” 

Soyeon turned and began walking out of the lobby and towards the supply closet. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling when she heard Yuqi mockingly repeat her words under her breath. 

Walking down the hallway, she took a deep breath and struggled to collect her thoughts. She shook her head. What was she thinking? She couldn't seriously still be into Yuqi after she almost got her killed, right? Also, there was the fact that she seemed to be a  _ literal  _ assassin. The kind that  _ killed people _ . 

Yuqi was an enigma. One minute, she’s as cute as a puppy, and Soyeon just wants to give her a hug and see her smile. The next, she throws a knife with deadly accuracy into a guy's hand and looks positively excited to beat the shit out of him. 

And, Soyeon thought ruefully, she looks undeniably hot doing all that.

Okay, so maybe Soyeon was still into Yuqi after learning that she was an assassin. Big whoop. 

But she couldn’t deny the way she had felt when she saw Yuqi crying and struggling. The anger and sadness that had rushed through her at the sight hadn’t been like anything she’d felt before. Clearly, she had underestimated her feelings for Yuqi, and seeing her in such a tough position had done Soyeon no favors in helping her get over the girl. 

And there was the fact that Yuqi, despite her secrecy and apparently troubled past, had tried her absolute hardest to keep Soyeon safe throughout all of this. She had left their lunch date early, knowing that spending too much time with one person might bring too much attention to her. She came to the studio tonight, presumably to protect Soyeon from the people trying to attack her. And, on top of that, she had even offered herself up on a silver platter, knowing she would likely die, just so Soyeon could escape safely. 

So, despite Soyeon’s warring thoughts and confused emotions, there was no doubt in her mind that Yuqi was a good person. She was a good person, and she seemed to genuinely care for Soyeon’s safety and wellbeing. 

Before she knew it, Soyeon had arrived at the supply closet. Knowing the longer Yuqi’s wound was unwrapped, the more likely an infection was, she didn’t waste any more time before grabbing the first aid kit from the shelf and starting back towards the lobby. 

Her thoughts drifted back to Yuqi. On top of all Soyeon’s confusion and curiosity about her, there was an overwhelming feeling of concern. Soyeon was concerned that Yuqi had gotten hurt trying to keep her safe, and she was worried that Yuqi had been forced to deal with all this stuff alone for so long. She thought back to what Mark had said earlier, that they had watched Yuqi for a very long time before she actually got close to somebody. 

Did that mean that Yuqi had been dealing with all of this alone? Dealing with assassins hunting you day and night was hard enough, but knowing that you could never share your feelings or struggles with anyone else without risking them as well? Soyeon couldn’t imagine. 

She returned to the lobby with the first aid kit still tightly clutched in between her fingertips, only to find Yuqi was missing. On top of that, the bodies of the men that she had knocked out earlier were also missing. A glance down the hall told Soyeon that even the man who had been unconscious in the hallway was missing. 

Soyeon struggled to control her panic, whipping her head around the room and desperately searching for Yuqi. Surely she wouldn’t have just left, right? And where were the men? There was no way they would have awoken that fast, right?

Before she could spiral any further into her panic, a sound from the hallway interrupted her thoughts. She jerked around, eyes wide in alarm as she saw Yuqi dragging the body of another man through one of the doors and into the hallway. Yuqi hadn’t seemed to notice her yet, too focused on her task. She grunted a bit as she dragged the man, considering he was much larger than her. Soyeon glanced at the door she had come from, only to find that it was labelled roof access. 

Yuqi had already taken care of the sniper?

“Um,” Soyeon managed. “Yuqi?” 

Yuqi stiffened and turned around, unceremoniously dropping the man to the floor. Her eyes widened as she saw Soyeon standing there, and she looked almost sheepish. 

“Ah, sorry,” Yuqi said, scratching the back of her neck with her good hand. Soyeon noticed that the wad of napkins was still pressed against the other, though they were considerably more bloody than they had been before. “I know you wanted me to stay in the lobby, but I thought I should take care of the sniper before he got too suspicious.”

Soyeon blinked, nodding. “Right,” she said. “Of course. Sure.” 

Yuqi avoided her eyes. 

“What happened to the other guys?” Soyeon asked, furrowing her brows. 

“Ah, well,” Yuqi replied. “I hope you don’t mind, I piled them all in the break room down the hall and wedged a pipe through the door so they can’t get out.” She motioned to the man still lying unconscious next to her. “That’s where I was taking this guy.”

Soyeon nodded. “Right.” 

Yuqi nodded and got right back to work, leaning down and grabbing the man’s legs. She resumed her path towards the breakroom, careful avoiding putting too much strain on her injured hand as she did. 

Soyeon could only watch, dazed, as Yuqi systematically took out the pipe she had wedged in the door (who knows where she found it) and dragged the unconscious sniper in and laid him down next to Mark and the others before huffing and retreating from the room, replacing the pipe as she closed the door. 

“So what’s going to happen to them?” Soyeon asked as Yuqi finished. “The, um, assassins, I mean?” 

Yuqi sighed. “It’s not a foolproof plan,” she admitted. “But we should call the police.” 

Soyeon raised an eyebrow. 

“I know, I know,” Yuqi said with a shrug. “It seems kind of weird to involve the police in all this assassin shit, but I think this is the best way to get Mark off my back without killing him.” 

“Will the police even be able to charge him with anything without any evidence?” Soyeon asked, pointedly ignoring the way Yuqi so casually mentioned murdering someone. 

Yuqi gave her a mischievous smile. “Ah, here’s where I come in.” she said. 

Without a word, she was leading Soyeon out into the lobby and out the doors, over to where her motorcycle was parked. “So I figured out that Mark and his goons were coming here to kill you, and that was the final straw for me. I decided that I was going to end this tonight, one way or another.” 

Soyepn narrowed her eyes, but she didn’t say anything. 

“Little did Mark know that while he was stalking me over the past year, I was doing the same to him.” she said, turning slightly to give Soyeon a devious smile. “I’ve gone on a few recon missions, and I’ve gathered enough dirt to put Mark away for a  _ very  _ long time. 

“Is that why you were gone from the gym for a couple days?” Soyeon asked, connecting the dots. 

Yuqi nodded, giving her a smile as she reached into the side bags on her motorcycle, withdrawing a bag full of various papers and recordings. 

“This,” Yuqi said, motioning to the bag. “Will be Mark’s downfall. For a big name assassin, he sure leaves a hell of a papertrail.” 

Soyeon could only nod, still slightly dazed at the idea that Yuqi had been planning this for months. Probably not like  _ this,  _ of course, but she had been trying to strike back at Mark, at least. 

They headed back to the building, and Yuqi unceremoniously dropped the bag of evidence in front of the door where the men were being held.

Soyeon proceeded to clean the cuts on Yuqi’s hand, removing the wad of bloody napkins with a wince. Without wasting any more time, she wrapped the girl’s fingers in gauze and bandaged the wound. Yuqi gave her a grateful look, nodding her head in thanks.

The next few minutes went by in a blur, if Soyeon was being honest. Yuqi wiped the camera footage of the past few hours, and she spent a few minutes cleaning the blood from the tile, insisting that she didn’t want the cops to trace this back to her through her DNA.

Soyeon hadn’t even thought of that. 

It really just solidified the thought in Soyeon’s head that Yuqi knew what she was doing, that she had a little too much experience in this field for comfort. 

Finally,  _ finally,  _ everything was taken care of, and Yuqi was standing expectantly at the door, giving her a small smile. Despite her smile, Soyeon still picked up on her nervous energy. She glanced at her anxiously every few seconds, as if waiting for her to run away. 

Soyeon internally snorted. She was in way too far to bail now. 

She was  _ in,  _ and she was going to find out exactly what the hell was going on. 

  
  


They went back to Yuqi’s place, in the end. Soyeon had taken the subway to work, so she couldn’t exactly drive, and Yuqi didn’t want to lead any potential tails back to Soyeon’s place. 

So Soyeon held on for dear life as they drove through the streets on Yuqi’s motorcycle. She definitely did  _ not  _ get distracted by the thin top Yuqi was wearing, so thin that it allowed Soyeon to literally feel the other girl’s abs. 

She did  _ not.  _

Yuqi seemed to pick up on Soyeon’s unease as they rode the bike, and she made sure to take the turns pretty slowly and carefully, so as not to scare her any further. 

Soyeon blinked as they entered an area of the city that was unfamiliar to her. It looked a little more run-down, and the streets were in pretty rough condition. 

As they came across more and more unavoidable bumps, Soyeon just held on tighter to Yuqi, squeezing her eyes shut and burying her face into the crook of the other girl's shoulder. 

Yuqi tried to keep driving straight, although it was definitely a challenge as she felt the sensation of Soyeon’s warm breath on her neck. She simply gripped the handles of her bike tightly, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the way her heart hammered in her chest. 

Finally, they turned into the parking lot of Yuqi’s apartment complex. 

Yuqi blushed a little, almost embarrassed. Her apartments weren’t exactly in the best neighborhood, and they looked pretty run-down and small. Soyeon surely lived somewhere much nicer. 

However, as they both clamored off the bike, Soyeon barely reacted to the sight of the apartments, simply taking off the helmet Yuqi had given and waving for her to lead the way. 

Yuqi scratched the back of her neck and awkwardly led Soyeon to her place, almost embarrassed. She knew her apartment was practically tiny, barely big enough to fit a bathroom and kitchen. 

Thankfully, Soyeon didn’t seem particularly fazed as they both made their way inside. The entire apartment was basically one room, Yuqi’s bed pushed into one corner while a tiny kitchen barely fit on the other side of the room. A bathroom was located off to the side, a few feet from Yuqi’s bed. 

If anything, she seemed relieved to finally be somewhere safe. She wordlessly stepped into the apartment, kicking off her shoes and immediately collapsing onto the bed with a dramatic groan. 

Yuqi could only blink and laugh a little. The sight of Soyeon in  _ her  _ bed was a little too much for her to handle. “Right,” she stammered. “I’ll go make some cocoa.” 

Soyeon released a groan of agreement, not moving from her position. 

Before she knew it, Yuqi was returning from the kitchen and clutching two mugs of cocoa in her hands. 

Soyeon forced herself to sit up, ignoring her exhaustion. She grabbed the mug from Yuqi’s hand, nodding her thanks before taking a sip. The cocoa was still hot, but it was a welcome flavor, and a warm feeling settled in her stomach. 

She shuddered a little. She hadn’t realized how cold the apartment was until now. 

Yuqi’s eyes widened as she seemed to pick up on Soyeon’s discomfort, and she wordlessly grabbed a hoodie that had been carelessly draped over Yuqi’s desk chair. She tossed it over to Soyeon and took a seat in front of her, settling down on the carpeted floor. 

Soyeon blinked. Wordlessly she pulled the hoodie over her head, trying not to focus on the way Yuqi’s warm scent now surrounded her. 

Silence consumed the room, and Yuqi took an awkward sip from her cocoa, avoiding Soyeon’s eyes. 

After a few tense moments, Soyeon finally interrupted the silence, pointedly clearing her throat. “So,” she said, fixing Yuqi with an even stare. “What the hell is going on?” 

Yuqi winced a little, unprepared for the blunt question. “Uh,” she managed. “Well,” 

Soyeon gave her a flat look. “Sooooo, you’re an assassin?” she asked. “Why don’t you start there? How does one get into that...line of work?” 

Yuqi swallowed. She had never talked to anyone about this stuff. She barely talked to anyone in the first place. Where to start?

“When I was really young,” she said, resolving to start at the very beginning. “My parents died.” 

Soyeon frowned. It wasn’t like she had expected a pleasant story, but Yuqi was so blunt about it.

“I was about four or five, so I don’t really remember them,” she clarified. “I grew up in an orphanage, and it honestly wasn’t too bad. The people who raised me were pretty nice, and I didn't have a bad life or anything.”

She hesitated, thinking about how best to continue. Soyeon silently waited, content to give her all the time she needed. 

“I think I was around eight years old when someone showed up at the orphanage, looking to adopt a child,” she said. “He was about middle-aged, and he seemed nice. Little me just wanted a home, so I obviously tried my best to be chosen. He didn’t seem to like it when I was nice and polite, and he wasn’t very satisfied with any of the children he met. I had kind of accepted the fact that this guy wasn’t going to adopt me, so I moved on to play with the toys in the corner while everyone else met him.” 

Soyeon narrowed her eyes, wondering where this was going. 

“One of the girls, this kid that I had been fighting with for the past week because she was mean, showed up and tried to take one of the toys I was playing with.” Yuqi paused. “So, um, I punched her in the face?” 

Soyeon couldn’t help the bark of laughter that bubbled up at the thought of eight-year-old Yuqi throwing hands with another child over a  _ toy.  _ Yuqi blushed. “I was pissed, okay?” she defended. “She was being mean, and I was tired of it.” 

Soyeon nodded, swallowing her laughter. She motioned for Yuqi to continue. 

“So, obviously, an adult pulls me off this girl and goes to put me in time out, but then the guy stops her.” she continued. “He waved me over, and he told me he liked my spirit.” 

Yuqi frowned, a haunted look filling her eyes, and Soyeon couldn’t suppress the shudder that ran down her back. 

“He adopted me the next day, and he took me to this really isolated area in one of the rural parts of China. Apparently, he was rich, so the house he lived in was  _ huge,  _ and he owned all the land surrounding it. At first I thought I had hit the jackpot, getting adopted by a super rich guy, but then things changed. He would get angry with me if I said the wrong thing, and he was disappointed when I didn’t ‘show the same spirit’ he saw when he adopted me.”

Yuqi hesitated, her eyes drifting down to the carpet. 

“He forced me to train  _ constantly,  _ pushing me to my limits and way beyond. He taught me how to fight with nearly every weapon he had, he made me scale cliffs and walls to help my endurance and agility, he made me spar against people twice my size for hours at a time. He said it was for my own good, but I knew he was doing it for some reason.” 

Soyeon struggled to contain her shock and horror. Yuqi had been put through all that as a child?

“I finally figured out the reason when I was about thirteen.” Yuqi continued. “I had been training for years at this point, so I was pretty...capable. He finally deemed me ready to go on my first assignment, and I’ll never forget it.” 

She looked up at Soyeon, her eyes hard and her mouth pressed into a thin line. “I’m sure you can guess what I had to do, considering I’m an assassin?” 

Soyeon sighed, meeting Yuqi’s eyes with a nod. It wasn’t a hard guess. 

Yuqi looked down again, breaking their eye contact. “Well, those assignments continued for years, and I was never given a choice. He told me he would kill me if I defied him...so I never did. I was terrified of him.” she explained. “Until I hit eighteen. I finished another assignment, and I finally decided that I had had enough. I was tired of all the killing, and I didn’t care about the consequences. I left that night, sneaking out of the window and hiking to the nearest town.” 

She looked up at Soyeon once again. “I’ve been running from him ever since.” she said. “He shouldn’t be able to find me, I fled China to come here, and I haven’t heard a peep from him since. I’m pretty sure I made it out okay.” 

Soyeon wasn’t sure what to say. “Yuqi…” she managed. “I’m sorry all that happened to you.” 

Yuqi shrugged, but her face was still set into a hard frown. “It’s okay, really,” she insisted. “It’s not your fault it happened, and it’s in the past. We can’t change it now.” 

Soyeon wanted to say more, wanted to express her sympathy and to just  _ give Yuqi a hug,  _ but she didn’t. There just wasn’t anything to really say, and Yuqi did not really look open for hugging right now. “So, who is Mark?” she asked after a few moments of silence. 

“ _ Apparently,”  _ Yuqi said, a hint of bitterness entering her voice. “Mark was unaware that it was not my fault that I was hired to kill his friend. For some reason he decided to hold the grudge against me instead of my fath-- that man.” 

Soyeon nodded. She pretended not to notice the slip-up, the way Yuqi almost referred to the man as her father. “So he’d been hunting you down since then?” 

Yuqi shrugged. “I’m not sure for how long,” she admitted. “I was probably sixteen or seventeen when I went on that assignment, but Mark only showed up when I was twenty. I guess it took him awhile to figure out who actually carried out the assignment.” 

“And you’re how old now?” Soyeon asked, trying to connect the dots in her head. It surprised her that she didn’t know Yuqi’s age yet.

“I’m twenty-one now.” Yuqi replied. “My birthday just passed, actually.”

Soyeon blinked. “And you didn’t tell me?” she asked, a little affronted that they hadn’t celebrated. 

Yuqi shrugged. “It didn’t seem like a big deal.” 

Soyeon couldn’t really argue. If she had been dealing with all the shit Yuqi had been dealing with, she probably wouldn’t think her birthday was all that significant either. “Still,” she muttered, taking another sip from her cocoa. 

Yuqi snorted a bit, doing the same. 

The room settled into a silence, and Soyeon couldn’t help but notice how heavy her eyelids had gotten. The room was cold, but the hoodie Yuqi had given her was big and warm, and Soyeon suddenly felt very drowsy. 

Yuqi seemed to pick up on her exhaustion after she yawned into her mug, and she stood from the carpet, holding her hand out to take her mug. 

Soyeon shook her head, beginning to protest, but Yuqi gave her a look. “It’s been a long day for both of us, you especially.” she pointed out. “You should get some rest. We can talk more in the morning?” 

Soyeon held her eyes for a moment, considering. She should probably head home, maybe call a taxi or take the subway, but Yuqi’s hoodie was so warm, and she was so  _ tired. _

Finally, she nodded, and Yuqi offered her a warm smile before taking the mug from her hands and setting it down on the desk across the room. 

Soyeon settled back on the bed, her eyes following Yuqi across the room even as they barely stayed open. “Are you gonna sleep?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. 

Yuqi jerked her head around, seemingly surprised at the question. She swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll sleep.” she assured her. “I just need to clean my swords and stuff. And I should probably keep watch for a bit, just in case we missed someone back at the studio.” 

She wordlessly motioned to the swords propped up against the wall, still stained red. 

Soyeon frowned, but she nodded. Yuqi fixed her with an assuring look. “Soyeon, I swear I’ll go to bed in a bit,” she said. “Don’t worry about me, just get some rest.” 

Soyeon couldn’t protest if she wanted to. The weight of her exhaustion was too heavy. The events of the day were overwhelming, and right now, all she wanted to do was fall into a peaceful sleep. 

So she did exactly that, pulling Yuqi’s hoodie closer and closing her eyes. 

Yuqi spared a look at a now-asleep Soyeon, a fond smile making its way onto her face. She released a sigh, picking up her swords from the door and beginning her nightly routine of cleaning and sharpening the twin blades. 

She wasn’t sure why she was so intent on the routine. Call her sentimental, but she really cared for the blades. They were the first gift that her father had given her, a prize after she succeeded in carrying out her first mission. 

At times, the memory made her sick. She remembered pushing the blades away, insisting that she didn’t want a reward for ending someone’s life, but her father made her take them. 

And she had kept them. For years. They were her chosen weapons, the ones she used the most. 

She guessed it was probably because her father had given them to her. Despite everything that he had done to her, everything he had forced her to do, she couldn’t help but be conflicted about him. He had raised her, had given her a life and made her into what she was today. 

Even if she was a bad person

She was broken out of her trance when a sharp pain shot through her fingers, making her wince. Looking down, she noticed the drop of blood forming on the tip of her finger. She had accidentally scraped her hand against the balde because she was lost in her thoughts.

Yuqi shook her head. She really needed to pay more attention. 

With a sigh, she stood up from her chair and carefully lay her swords flat on her desk. Shooting a glance over at an asleep Soyeon, she deemed it safe enough to quickly change out of her outfit. It was covered in blood, anyway. Also, it wasn’t the most comfortable. 

Once she was comfortably in a pair of joggers and an old t-shirt, she settled back against the wall. 

She swallowed. She had lied to Soyeon earlier, if she was being honest. Yuqi wasn’t planning on sleeping tonight. She wasn’t about to take  _ any  _ chances, so she would just stay up and make sure nothing happened. 

She wasn’t about to let someone try and hurt Soyeon again. Not on her watch. 

So Yuqi grabbed one of her swords, the one she normally wielded in her left hand, and she began keeping watch. 

  
  


When Soyeon woke, it was to the smell of eggs and bacon. She drowsily opened her eyes and sat up, running a hand through her short hair and dazedly wondering exactly where she was. 

She looked around the unfamiliar room, only for her eyes to land on Yuqi, who was currently standing at the stove of the kitchen and stirring a pan of scrambled eggs while humming to herself. 

Soyeon blushed. Somehow the sight of Yuqi standing so openly, so unguarded, dressed only in a pair of joggers and a t-shirt, was breathtaking. 

She moved a little, trying to adjust her position, and Yuqi turned when she heard the sound of the bed sheets rustling. Her eyes crinkled as she gave Soyeon a warm smile and a small wave. “Good morning,” she said, turning back to the eggs. “I hope you're okay with bacon and eggs, it’s basically the only thing I have.”

Soyeon nodded before she realized Yuqi's back was still turned away. “That sounds great.” she replied, her voice still a bit raspy from sleep. “What time is it?”

Yuqi hummed, glancing up at the clock on the microwave. “About 10:00,” she replied. “Why?” 

A bolt of panic ran through Soyeon as Yuqi answered, and she scrambled for her phone. Opening the device, she saw she had almost thirty unanswered messages, all from her fellow employees at the studio, asking where she was, why there was police tape surrounding the building, why she hadn't come into work today.

The most messages were from Minnie, whose texts slowly turned from slightly annoyed, to concerned, to outright worried. 

She had six missed calls from Minnie alone, and she cursed under her breath as she noticed the timestamp marked over an hour ago. 

“What’s wrong?” Yuqi asked, picking up on her anxiety as she moved the eggs from the pan to a plate. She wordlessly began making both their plates, separating the bacon and eggs into equal portions. 

Soyeon groaned, planting her face in her hands dramatically. “All my coworkers and my friends are freaking out because there’s police tape and police cars surrounding the area, and I didn’t come into work this morning. 

Yuqi’s eyes widened as she realized why Soyeon was worried. “Yeah, that’s not really ideal,” she agreed. “Once we finish breakfast, I can drive you wherever you need to go.” 

Soyeon shook her head. “No, it’s fine, I can just call an Uber or something -” 

“Don’t worry about it, Soyeon,” Yuqi interrupted. “It’s the least I can do...especially after last night.” 

Soyeon sighed, not finding it in her to protest anymore. The room dissolved into a tense silence as Yuqi brought over a plate of food, motioning to the desk. They both sat down and began eating, Yuqi’s eyes glancing over at Soyeon every so often. 

Soyeon wolfed down the food, just realizing how hungry she had been. In minutes, her plate was clean, and she gave Yuqi a sheepish look as she caught her looking at the plate with a smirk. Yuqi snorted. “I didn’t know my cooking was that good.” 

Soyeon stuck out her tongue at the other girl. “It’s not, I’m just starving,” she teased. “I barely choked it down.” 

Yuqi shook her head, her mouth creasing into an exaggerated frown. “I should’ve known,” she cursed. 

Soyeon nodded knowingly. “You really should have,” she agreed with a teasing smile. 

They shared a look, and Soyeon’s eyes were drawn to the way Yuqi’s eyes crinkled into crescents as she smiled. 

She had the prettiest smile. 

The moment was interrupted by the sharp ringing of her phone, and she jumped, not expecting the noise. Yuqi blinked and shook her head, returning to her food. 

Soyeon released a breath and reached for her phone, answering it without looking at the caller ID (a rookie mistake, she knew). 

“JEON SOYEON!” came Minnie’s thunderous voice through the phone speaker. Soyeon jerked back, retracting the phone from her ear with a wince. 

Yuqi gave her a sympathetic look as she heard the screaming, though Soyeon knew she was trying hard not to laugh. 

“HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME ON READ FOR  _ HOURS,”  _ Minnie screamed through the phone. “WHEN THERE ARE POLICE CARS SURROUNDING THE STUDIO AND YOU ARE  _ NOWHERE TO BE SEEN?”  _

Soyeon winced again, and this time Yuqi was full-on laughing. “Sorry, Minnie,” she tried. “I didn’t see the texts -” 

“DON’T TRY THAT ON ME, JEON!” Minnie yelled again, interrupting her. “YOU  HAVEN’T MISSED A DAY OF WORK IN YOUR LIFE. EXPLAIN.” 

Soyeon looked over at Yuqi with a desperate look, and Yuqi only shook her head, now cackling. She opened her mouth, trying to come up with a conceivable explanation, but nothing came to her. 

“Wait a second,” came Minnie’s voice once again, much quieter this time. “...is that a _girl_ I hear in the background?” 

Soyeon could hear the smile in her voice, and she tried her best not to blush. She swallowed, meeting eyes with Yuqi and sending her an apologetic look. 

“Yes.” she replied, closing her eyes in resignation, as if she was speaking at her own funeral. 

“Soyeon!” Minnie shrieked, and Soyeon jerked the phone away from her ear once again. “You spent the night with a girl!?” 

Yuqi looked at her with raised eyebrows, and Soyeon has never wanted to hurl herself off a four-story building more. “Yes,” Soyeon whispered, seeing no other option. 

“Yay!” Minnie said, her tone a far-cry from the rage-filled yelling that Soyeon had heard earlier. “I’m so happy for you! Is she your girlfriend? Are you guys dating?” 

Soyeon’s face was tomato red at this point, and Yuqi was giving her a knowing smirk. “No!” Soyeon immediately replied, and Yuqi just gave her a flat look. “She’s, uh, you know -” 

“I’m her girlfriend,” Yuqi suddenly interrupted, yelling across the table with a shit-eating grin on her face. 

Soyeon gave her a death glare, ready to commit homicide, but she was distracted by the unintelligible screeching on the other end of the line. 

“Yeah, Minnie, I gotta call you back!” Soyeon yelled into the phone, releasing a sigh as she hung up the phone, cutting off the screaming from the other end. She fixed Yuqi with a disbelieving look. “Are you serious?” 

Yuqi only shrugged, taking another bite of her eggs. 

Soyeon looked at her with wide eyes. “Do you realize what you’ve done?” she asked. “Minnie’s never going to leave me alone now. She’s gonna be pestering me for  _ weeks  _ about meeting my ‘girlfriend!’” 

Yuqi looked up at her with a smile. “And?” 

“ _ And?!”  _ Soyeon asked incredulously. “ _ I don’t have a girlfriend.”  _

Yuqi only quirked her head at her, seemingly contemplating her reply. Then, after a moment of silence, she simply shrugged once again and stood from the table, grabbing both her and Soyeon’s plate and taking them to the sink. Soyeon was left blushing and spluttering behind her. 

  
  


Soyeon asked Yuqi to drive her back to her apartment, and the ride over was actually relatively calm. Yuqi made sure to drive the bike carefully, so as not to scare her passenger, and Soyeon enjoyed having an excuse to hug Yuqi the entire time. 

Soyeon couldn’t even deny it anymore. She was insanely into Yuqi, despite all the events of the night before, despite her being a literal assassin, despite  _ everything.  _

It was all she could think of the entire ride home. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, they pulled up at Soyeon’s place, a complex full of fancy apartments. Soyeon had moved in after she got her promotion at work, and she was proud of where she lived. 

It displayed just how hard she had worked to get where she was.

Yuqi parked in the lot, taking off her helmet and gazing around the complex with wide eyes. “Nice place,” she commented. 

Soyeon nodded, feeling a little awkward. “Yep.” 

She scrambled off the bike after Yuqi, and they both stood there for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. 

“So, uh,” Yuqi said. “Can I walk you to your door?” 

Soyeon blushed a bit, nodding her head with a hesitant smile. Suddenly it felt like she was back in high school, too nervous to talk to her crush.

(Except they were two adults and Soyeon knew for a fact that Yuqi had nearly killed someone last night.)

They walked through the complex, and Soyeon was secretly grateful that none of her neighbors were out at this time. Those people could be so judgy.

The walk to her door was mostly silent, with a few comments about random stuff Yuqi noticed about the complex. Soyeon felt like she could barely form any words.

_ Why was she so nervous all of the sudden? _

They finally reached her door after a short walk, and Yuqi and her both paused. 

“Soyeon, listen -” 

“I have to tell you -” 

They both stopped, laughing a bit. Soyeon waved for Yuqi to go first. “Go ahead.” 

Yuqi looked like she wanted to protest for a moment, but then Soyeon gave her a flat look and Yuqi dropped it.

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m still really sorry about last night,” Yuqi said, scratching the back of her neck. She looked down to the ground as she spoke. “You almost got seriously hurt, and it was my fault, so I understand if you don’t really want to be around me anymore -”

“Yuqi,” Soyeon interrupted with a slight shake of her head, reaching out to grab Yuqi’s hands. “I was going to tell you that I actually...really like you. A lot.” 

Yuqi looked at her, eyes wide and disbelieving. “But...” 

“Yes, I almost died last night,” Soyeon acknowledged, and Yuqi winced a bit. “But, honestly, last night didn’t change my feelings towards you. If anything, they got even stronger.” Her heart was beating impossibly fast. 

Yuqi shook her head. “No, I put you in danger -” 

“But you also saved my life.” Soyeon protested. “It’s not your fault that Mark was hunting you down, or that you accidentally became my friend. You didn’t do anything wrong, Yuqi.” 

Yuqi swallowed, but she stayed silent. 

“I really like you,” Soyeon repeated. “And I wanted to officially ask you out. You know, on a date.” 

Yuqi hesitated for a moment. She still looked unsure. 

“I promise you,” Soyeon insisted. “It’s not your fault, and I don’t blame you.” 

After a tense moment of silence, Yuqi finally nodded. “Okay,” she agreed. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Soyeon.” 

Soyeon’s face lit up into a grin, and Yuqi couldn’t help her own smile. 

“I meant to tell you earlier,” Soyeon commented, wiggling her eyebrows. “You look really hot when you use your swords.” 

Yuqi’s face flushed a bright red, and Soyeon released a loud laugh at the look on her face. 

Yuqi shook her head and playfully shoved her shoulder. “Shut up.” she laughed. 

Soyeon just smiled at her. 

“Are you free tomorrow?” Yuqi asked. 

Soyeon nodded, but she began to protest. “Now hold on,  _ I’m  _ taking  _ you _ out.” she insisted. “I’m the one that asked.” 

Yuqi quirked her head. “Are you sure about that?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she gave Soyeon a teasing smile. 

Soyeon opened her mouth to argue, but then Yuqi was walking away, giving her a wave as she did. “I’ll pick you up at 7:00.” she called. 

Soyeon shook her head. She was absolutely not letting Yuqi have the last word. “Wait, Yuqi,” she called, jogging after her. “You forgot something!” 

Yuqi turned back to her with a confused look, her brows furrowed. “I didn’t bring anything with me -” 

Her words caught in her throat as Soyeon leaned in and pressed her lips against Yuqi’s.

Yuqi’s brain effectively stopped functioning as they kissed, and suddenly, she was lifting her hands to cradle Soyeon’s face as Soyeon’s hand cupped the back of her neck, pulling her closer. 

The kiss ended far too soon, as far as Yuqi was concerned, and she was left hanging as Soyeon pulled away. Soyeon had a smug smile on her face, laughing at the glossed over look in Yuqi’s eyes. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Song Yuqi.”

**Author's Note:**

> That was a mess. 
> 
> feel free to drop a kudos or comment if you enjoyed.


End file.
